Everyone Has Lost Money In This Economic Downturn
With the stock market going down so much over the last couple of years, many people have become gun-shy about buying stocks. This is understandable since most every stock had done nothing but go down for so long. However, there is signs of life and the market has moved back up somewhat.
Getting the confidence to put more money in the market after having it perform so poorly is something that does not come easily. After all, whos to say it wont just turn around and go back down again? Figuring out a good reentry point is something that seasoned investors would have a much better chance of figuring out than the beginner. However, we do know that at some point, it will be the correct time to start buying again.
Many people have thought about averaging down during this bear market, which just means they would buy more stock of what they already have but at lower prices. That would in effect lower the cost per share of the stocks they have but they would of course have more of them. This is a great thing to do if you can catch the market at the bottom but if the market has further to fall, then you just end up losing more money.
Although it may be tempting to buy more of what you have and to average down, it might not be the smartest choice. Most economists and stock market analysts agree that you should be diversified in your investments and that might mean buying other company stocks instead of the ones you already own. It also could be done by buying other types of financial investments such as treasury bills or bank CDs. A good investor never has too much in one asset as that would expose them to too much risk.
If this terrible market environment we have had now though, even those who were properly diversified have lost. Nothing can protect you from losing when the market goes down as much as it has and that is something you must be aware of and accept. Investing in stocks is risky and you should never invest money that you cannot afford to lose. Shortly though, it will be time to get back in the market and those that have strong stomachs will be the ones who stand to profit.
Getting the confidence to put more money in the market after having it perform so poorly is something that does not come easily. After all, whos to say it wont just turn around and go back down again? Figuring out a good reentry point is something that seasoned investors would have a much better chance of figuring out than the beginner. However, we do know that at some point, it will be the correct time to start buying again.
Many people have thought about averaging down during this bear market, which just means they would buy more stock of what they already have but at lower prices. That would in effect lower the cost per share of the stocks they have but they would of course have more of them. This is a great thing to do if you can catch the market at the bottom but if the market has further to fall, then you just end up losing more money.
Although it may be tempting to buy more of what you have and to average down, it might not be the smartest choice. Most economists and stock market analysts agree that you should be diversified in your investments and that might mean buying other company stocks instead of the ones you already own. It also could be done by buying other types of financial investments such as treasury bills or bank CDs. A good investor never has too much in one asset as that would expose them to too much risk.
If this terrible market environment we have had now though, even those who were properly diversified have lost. Nothing can protect you from losing when the market goes down as much as it has and that is something you must be aware of and accept. Investing in stocks is risky and you should never invest money that you cannot afford to lose. Shortly though, it will be time to get back in the market and those that have strong stomachs will be the ones who stand to profit.
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